Source edition
Isocrates, Vol. 3. Van Hook, Larue, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1945 (printing).
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a forensic oration delivered by the young Alcibiades (the son) in defense against charges brought by Teisias regarding the ownership of a chariot team that his famous father had once entered in the Olympic Games. The speaker shifts the focus from a mere property dispute to a comprehensive defense of his father's controversial career and reputation. Throughout the speech, he recounts how his father was forced into exile in Sparta due to political conspiracies, highlights his subsequent contributions to Athenian democracy, and extols his illustrious lineage and monumental Olympic victories. After refuting allegations of tyrannical ambitions and demonstrating his father's enduring patriotism, the speaker turns to expose the injustice of his accusers. Finally, he laments his own lifelong hardships and pleads with the jurors for acquittal, revealing that this lawsuit threatens him with the loss of civic rights (atimia) and total ruin.